Of Daffodils and Second Chances
by Maerynn
Summary: It's been a year since his father's death. One year since his entire life fell apart. One year. A year from hell. But could a chance encounter with an unknown woman, crying over Chat Noir's grave, turn everything upside down yet again?
1. Chapter 1: The Cemetery

As they had done countless times before over the course of the last years, once again, his feet led him to the cemetery. Every time he felt like that, like he was about to choke on oxygen, like the walls of his room were closing up on him, like he was about to lose his mind, he sneaked out and walked until his feet hurt and his breathing became something natural again, instead of something he actively had to think about, step by step.

Weird as it may sound, Adrien liked the peaceful atmosphere that reigned in the cemetery. He rarely encountered other living beings, and the eerie silence was more often than not enough to calm his jittery nerves. He paced down the aisles, his hands buried in his pockets, once again painfully aware of his bare ring finger.

The disappearance of his ring was the greatest loss he had ever suffered. Losing his mother had been terrible, but at least he had the little comfort of knowing she wasn't suffering anymore. His father's death had been brought upon himself by his foolish actions. But his ring had been taken away from him. His Lady had been taken away from him. He missed Plagg every single day, missed the freedom of running across rooftops in the dead of the night. If he was to be honest with himself, he even missed fighting akumas with his beloved.

But Chat Noir was dead.

Well, that's what everyone thought, at least.

One year prior, when Hawkmoth had been defeated, Chat Noir had never gotten out of the collapsed Agreste manor. Rescue teams had been going through the rubble for a week, but the only thing they ever found was the Agreste son, lying unconscious under a shattered wall.

So, according to all of Paris, Chat Noir had found his ultimate demise in the final fight against his mortal enemy, bringing him with him into death.

Ladybug had spent the entire week following his dramatic exit helping the volunteers dig through the ruins of the former Agreste mansion, refusing to give up. Alya had to physically force the heroine on more than one occasion to drink some water, eat a bit, rest for a few minutes. When it became clear that her partner was nowhere to be found, at least alive, Ladybug had fled the premises, to never be seen again.

Meanwhile, Adrien was doing his best to be forgotten. It had taken him almost two weeks to regain consciousness, hooked on multiple hospital machines and feeling groggy and disoriented. His first reality check had been harsh: Nino was the only one staying by his side. With Gabriel dead, Marinette had lost her internship and had accepted a position in another company. In China. Alya wasn't coping well with her best friend's sudden departure, and it took her a few weeks before she would be able to hang out with Adrien and Nino, all three of them carefully avoiding the blatant hole in their broken foursome.

For Adrien, Marinette's broken dream was one life too many Gabriel Agreste had ruined. He sold his father's legacy, bought himself a nice apartment and disappeared from the face of the earth as far as media were concerned. A few chosen people were still aware of his whereabouts, notably Nino and Alya, but according to most Parisians, Adrien Agreste had fled the country as soon as he was discharged from the hospital to avoid dealing with the scandal of his father's death.

Sighing as he tried to shake his grim memories away, Adrien quickened his pace between the memorials. If he was to turn left at the end of the aisle, he would find his mother's grave—a grave as empty as his was, contrary to Gabriel Agreste's. He never turned left. Couldn't bring himself to face the lie that represented his mother's sepulture, couldn't bring himself to acknowledge that his very own cataclysm had put his father six-feet-under.

He always turned right. At the far end of that path was standing tall Chat Noir's monument, erected by Paris's citizen as a last homage to the allegedly fallen hero. The first few weeks, it had been a really crowded place, with so many flowers you could barely see the statue standing over the empty casket. But the dust had settled, and nowadays, it was as deserted as the remaining of the cemetery, as peaceful.

Lost in thoughts, he followed his usual path, the knot in his throat becoming less and less painful with every step he took. Bittersweet memories began to fill his mind, images of breathtaking races on the rooftops, of laughs and playful banter at the top of the Eiffel Tower, of brilliant blue eyes looking at him with love and tenderness.

He didn't realize he had company before it was already too late.

For, sitting on the ground before Chat Noir's grave, hugging her knees to her chest, was a young lady, her shoulders unmistakably shaking with violent sobs. From where he was standing, he didn't recognize the black hair cut in a short pixie cut, nor the black trench coat that was hugging her waist snuggly. She was curled up into a tight ball, on the ground, her entire being shaking wildly with her obvious sorrow.

But when she whimpered pitifully, half-choking on another sob, Adrien instantly recognized her voice.

A voice that had been haunting him for the past year.

A voice he thought to be lost forever, to have been ripped away from him.

"Why did you have to leave me?" she whined breathlessly, still sobbing uncontrollably. "I can't go on without you, Kitty. I need you. I just… I miss you so, so much. And it hurts, it hurts so much. I've failed you, I've failed to protect you, and now you're gone forever."

Adrien knew he was intruding on a rather private moment, knew perfectly well that the words dropping freely from her lips were never meant for his prying ears. But he was already too close to her to leave without risking her discovering his presence.

So he froze in place, his breath hitching in his throat as she went on. "Every single day without you is a torture, I thought that going away from Paris would ease the pain, but it only made it worse." She choked on yet another sob. "I love you, my kitty…"

Her last sentence was barely above a whisper, but to Adrien it felt worse than a punch to the solar plexus.

At that precise second, he knew that he had made a horrible mistake a year prior.

That he shouldn't have ever given up on trying to find her, that by cowardly hiding instead of turning the universe upside down to get reunited with his partner, he had broken her too.

This was more than he could take.

His knees gave up under him and he dropped to the ground beside her, startling her out of her grieving. The anonymous woman gasped as he pulled her into a tight embrace, burying his nose into the crown of her head.

"I found you," he whispered into her hair, "I finally found you."

A broken sob tore from her throat, and she whimpered within his arms, "A … Adrien?"

He broke away from her upon hearing her words, the obvious recognition in her voice sparking something within him. She hadn't called him M. Agreste, nor Adrien Agreste.

She had called him Adrien.

Like an old friend.

Nothing could've prepared him for the rollercoasters his heart decided to take into his chest when his eyes found hers. Big, beautiful blue lakes of kindness staring at him with conflicting emotions. Familiar rosy lips that had haunted his dreams far more often than he'd like to admit, black hair with a blueish hue that was no longer held back in pigtails, but now cut into a cute pixie cut that made her seem older, more womanly.

Ladybug's face, whose every line and contour he had engraved in his heart.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng's face, the missing piece of his friends foursome, the dearest friend that his father had managed to drive away from the grave.

Without realizing it, he lifted a hand to gently caress Marinette's cheek as he stared into her bluebell eyes, marvelling at the incredible strike of luck he had for her to be the lost partner he had longed for so much, of having found her in a Parisian cemetery on such a random day.

She was staring at him too, tears spilling anew on her cheeks as she cupped his cheek in turn. "It's … it's really you? My kitty? Mon Chaton?"

"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, my lady."

He tightened his grip on her, clinging onto her like a lifeline. His eyes fell on her earrings, familiar spots of black on her lobes. He had never seen Marinette without them back in their school days, and had often wondered without daring to ask what a bubbly and colourful girl like her was doing with such bland jewelry. He had always thought they held some sort of personal significance, and had left it at that.

Now he knew better.

Of course Ladybug would never remove her Miraculous. And, of course, said jewel would look ordinary and uninteresting when not activated.

His ring was a dull and uninteresting silver shade whenever he wasn't Chat Noir, after all.

Thinking about his ring, Adrien's eyes travelled down his long lost lady's face and fell on the hollow of her throat. There, gently nestled just above her breasts, laid a ring he was all too familiar with.

The silver band was hooked on a thin chain around her neck, and if Adrien had any lingering doubts about Marinette being Ladybug in that second, they were instantly swept away.

Because there was no way anyone other than Ladybug could've realized how much this jewel was important, what it meant, no way anyone else would've hung to it for an entire year, wearing it daily, carrying it with her wherever she went.

His heart swelling with love for her, he reached tentatively, brushing the cold metal with the pad of his thumb. "You…" Adrien whispered, "You've had it all of this time?"

Marinette looked at him, reaching behind her neck to unclasp the chain. "I … when… When Chat—I mean you, attacked Hawkmoth… He took off your ring… The next thing I knew, the mansion was collapsing, my partner was M.I.A. and I was clutching on your Miraculous for dear life… I—"

She was shaking violently into his arms, hot tears streaming down her face. But he knew better than everyone that she needed to get those words off her chest, that she needed to tell them after a year of staying silent, of keeping all of those powerful emotions bottled up. Resting her forehead on his, she choked up pitifully, "I tried, you know. I searched for you under that rubble day and night until I knew for sure that my partner wasn't… I … I-I didn't know, Adrien, and—"

Powerful emotions washed over Adrien in that precise moment. Nostalgia over their past friendship, the tight-knitted bond they had with Alya and Nino. Longing over the fact of having the woman he had been head over heels for ever since being fifteen cradled in his arms. Pain and sorrow when the last images he had of her came to mind, images of her beautiful face stained with blood, of her horror-stricken expression when his cataclysm-charged hand had collapsed against the mansion's supportive column.

Unable to cope with all of those thoughts clashing into his grieving mind, Adrien pulled her close and pressed his lips on hers, hard. There was no tenderness in their kiss, it was born out of desperation, out of months of mourning. It was hungry, heated, and Marinette met his enthusiasm on par. She clung onto him, her nail raking on his nape, pressing her chest against him as if her entire life depended on him.

"I missed you, I missed you so much," he whispered against her lips, drunk on her taste, drunk on her touch.

She gave a weak smile, and she reached for him again, pulling him into another salty kiss.


	2. Chapter 2: Tangled Sheets

How they ever made it back to her hotel room, Marinette had no clue. Back in the cemetery, she had dissolved in a mess of tears within Adrien's arms, unable to believe that after all this time, all this pain, she had been given another shot at being with her missing partner.

Why he had kissed her, she didn't know, but Marinette had found herself held tight against Adrien's chest, feverish kisses pressed onto her lips. Hastily whispered apologies were mumbled against her lips, familiar hands she thought she'd never feel on her skin again were holding her tight.

From the moment their lips had met in the cemetery, they had clung to each other like a lifeline. It had taken them a while to be able to even move from the (she now knew empty) grave of her long-lost partner, let alone walk to the hotel, holding each other so tight that it almost hurt.

From a stranger's perspective, they must have looked drunk, clinging to each other as they walked in the street, seeking each other's touch desperately, frantically, stopping every time the ache became unbearable to kiss with a fire that ran down her veins.

Adrien was kissing her like his very life depended on it, caressing her cheeks and her hair lovingly, reverently. And she couldn't agree more with his obvious intentions. She wanted to kiss him forever, wanted to melt into him and never let him go again.

One year she had spent mourning him. One year she had missed him with all her being. Having him back was nothing short of a miracle, and if this was a dream the last thing she wanted was to wake up.

Her back pressed to the hotel room door, she deepened the kiss, blocking all thoughts about what it might mean, about what she was jeopardizing by indulging herself in his addictive touch. Her nerves felt raw, exposed, and she was desperately aware of every inch of her skin he was touching, and even more those who went painfully ignored.

His fingers found the buttons of her trench coat, undoing them torturingly slowly, one by one, as his lips toyed with her earlobe. The garment was pushed from her shoulders as soon as it was undone, revealing the short and professional black dress she had been wearing underneath. His hands traced her sides, and he pressed open-mouthed kisses on the skin of her throat.

Her mind became blurry with want, with need. Nothing existed anymore outside of that man kissing her, caressing her.

The cold metal of his ring brushed against her cheek when he grabbed the sides of her face to adjust the angle of their kiss, and it sent a jolt of raw desire through her core.

She raked her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer, desperate to taste him, to feel him. His kisses changed their path then, drifting toward her collarbone, grazing over her shoulder and leaving her skin ablaze in their trail.

They somehow found their way from the door to the bed, his hoodie and his shirt being discarded along the way, tossed out of mind. They toppled over the mattress without breaking their embrace, Marinette lying on her back with Adrien kneeling between her knees.

His fingers traced the outside of her thigh, tantalizingly slowly, as his lips latched on hers again.

"Do … do you want to stop?" Marinette said breathlessly, a brief spark of worry through her hazy mind.

Worries that were instantly quelled by the hoarse, "Gosh, no," pronounced against the swell of her breasts. "Do you?"

His only answer came as a muffled moan when his hand found one of her breasts, gently caressing her sensitive nipple through the fabric of her dress with the pad of his thumb. With a frustrated huff, Marinette grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it over her head swiftly.

She was drowning under his touch, and his skin was her oxygen.

Hovering over her, Adrien stilled for a second, staring at her naked body with a renewed hunger. "No bra?"

"A … a perk of petite breasts," she tried to answer playfully, but her voice was seeping with desire.

It was like something had snapped within Adrien at that precise second. He dove, spreading a fiery trail of kisses on every exposed patch of skin on her body. His strong hands were holding her hips firmly onto the mattress, and the only thing she could do under his feverish assault was wrap her legs around him and press herself against him as much as she could.

By the time Adrien managed to remove his remaining clothes and take off her panties, Marinette was on the verge of combusting within his arms. He reached between her thighs, teasing her folds with two fingers.

Her back arched against him as she let out a long moan. Adrien nibbled lightly on her neck, sending shivers of pleasure through her entire body. "Adrien, _please,_ " she said breathily, "I _need_ you. _Now._ "

He was between her thighs almost instantly, crushing his lips upon hers hungrily, feverishly. His latex-covered manhood pressed at her entrance ever so lightly. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, and Marinette reached up, pulling him in for another searing kiss, digging her heels into his lower back to bring him closer.

Adrien thankfully understood what she wanted and entered her slowly, fully sheathing himself within her core. "You okay?" he breathed in her ear.

Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her forehead against his. "Adrien, _please._ "

Her needy whimper was apparently the only permission he needed. He pulled back, tearing a mewl from Marinette, before thrusting in again. She was clinging to his shoulders for support, peppering kisses all over his face while he fell into an easy rhythm, pulling back and forth inside her in a mess of tangled limbs and sweaty kisses.

"A- Adrien! I—" Marinette tried to speak, to warn him about the wave of pleasure crashing up on her, but all she managed to utter was needy moans and breathy mewls.

She felt herself clench around him when he sneaked a finger between them to gently rub against her sensitive bud. He growled and bit down in her shoulder as his hips began to lose their rhythm, and the possessiveness in the gesture was all the push Marinette needed to topple over the edge into white hot release.

Adrien rolled on his side, gathering her into his arms and pulling her close to his chest. "I love you, Marinette. I love you so much."

Those words, whispered tenderly against the crown of her hair, were the last thing she heard or saw before drifting off to sleep, cradled within his arms. _  
_

* * *

Marinette stirred lazily between the tangled sheets. The strong, steady sound of a beating heart was thumping against her cheek, lulling her into a half-asleep state despite having just woken up. Her naked skin shivered under the bite of the air, and she pressed herself further against the warm body lying partly underneath her.

Memories of the previous day floated at the forefront of her mind, bringing back with them the odd mix of feelings that had submerged her when her deceased partner had somehow appeared on his own grave, somehow miraculously breathing and well, in a Parisian cemetery.

The rest of their day was kinda blurry to her.

Their heated reunion within her sheets had been both a balm on her wounds and a curse to her broken heart. The day prior, she hadn't been considering consequences. Her kitty, her partner, her best friend was alive against all odds, and she had surrendered to the overwhelming emotions taking over her.

But now, in the odd silence of her hotel room only broken by Adrien's steady and comforting breathing under her ear, the ramifications of his sudden and unexpected reveal finally sunk in. For the past year, she had believed him dead. Had mourned her partner and had built another life for herself away from the painful memories.

But waking up in his arms, her skin bared for the world to see, the only feelings that found their way to her heart were guilt and regret.

A year.

A whole year spent mourning him, searching him despite herself within every green-eyed blond to cross her path. A whole year of regrets, of useless wishes that somehow, somewhere along the way she had done things slightly differently and had succeeded in protecting him from harm.

Part of her selfishly wished he had searched for her, somehow, that he hadn't given up on them so quickly. But how could he have? _She_ held onto his Miraculous all of this time, and dozens of scammers had reached to her through the papers in the weeks following Chat Noir's disappearance, claiming to be her partner miraculously saved from the collapsed manor. The only way he would have had to reach out to his partner and tell her the truth would've been in person. But Marinette knew for a fact that Adrien was still unconscious the day she had boarded the plane to Shanghai.

And while his absence was hurting her every single day of her life, she was painfully conscious that he had wounds of his own to tend to. After all, he _had_ delivered the final blow to his very own father, had been left an alleged orphan in the aftermaths of the final fight, and found his life turned upside down upon the untimely reveal that said very own father had been the villain they had been fighting relentlessly for the past years.

Who did she think she was, adding another heartbreak to his already full plate? Adrien deserved way better than what little time she had to give him, someone who could devote themselves to him heart and soul, and give him what had been ripped away from him: a family.

No matter how much she wished she could be that person, Marinette knew better. It was already far too late. A glance to her kwami, who was looking at her with big, sad eyes from the shelf where she was cuddling her disgruntled cat counterpart, confirmed her what she already knew deep within herself.

She had just made a _huge_ mistake.

Those useless regrets stifling her, Marinette repressed a sob and tore herself from the blond's embrace. She tried to gather her clothes as silently as she could, blessing in passing the quality of her luggage zippers, hoping with all her might she would avoid waking him up.

"Where are you going?"

Marinette stilled, clad in her panties and her dress halfway down her chest, staring at the handsome young man sleepily looking at her from her hotel bed. "I'm sorry, Adrien, this was a huge mistake. I let my emotions drive me. I have to leave. I… I have work tomorrow and—."

With a slight groan, Adrien rolled onto his stomach, and looked directly at her. Marinette blushed deeply at the sight of his naked bum exposed in plain sight, but he didn't seem to mind the slightest. "Let me make something clear, Marinette. A year ago, I lost the woman I love and one of my best friends within a week. The former I had no clue how to contact, the latter I thought was better off without me."

Standing up in all his naked glory, the young man closed the distance between them, placing his hands on her shoulders and coaxing her to face him. He placed his lips upon hers, softly, tentatively. Marinette felt her knees weaken with the amount of love and adoration he was able to pour into a simple peck. "I love you, Marinette. Finding out _you_ are Ladybug only makes me love you more. I've loved you ever since I was fifteen, and I still love you like a mad man. I won't ever repeat my mistakes. I'm not letting you go. See it as a fair warning, but I fully intend on fighting for your heart until my dying breath."

Without thinking, without processing his words fully, Marinette found her lips crashed against his once again, and her arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace.

"I can't stay," she whispered against his lips, "I have a life in China. I… I can't throw everything away for something that might never work."

"Suits yourself," he sighed, "but I'm not giving up on you. Not after all this time. When are you boarding up the plane back?"

She let him kiss her again, her heart thumping deafeningly in her ears. "I have to be at the airport in four hours."

He smiled, a dangerous, predatorily smile. "Perfect, that leaves me plenty of time to show you _how much_ I love you."

And before she could object, his lips descended on hers again.


	3. Chapter 3: Small Steps

Once Adrien successfully pulled her back to bed, Marinette surrendered to his worshipping, all her restraints long forgotten. She let him kiss and caress every inch of her skin, losing herself into his touch. He drove her crazy, repeating love words over and over again like a chant as he made love to her. For too brief a moment, she allowed herself to forget everything else but Adrien, to focus entirely on how _alive_ he made her feel.

In the end she almost missed her flight, seeing as they were both reluctant to part ways.

Adrien helped her to pack her suitcase, and insisted on riding the taxi to the airport with her. They held hands until the taxi pulled over in front of the airport, and he paid the driver while Marinette wasn't looking. Ignoring her objections, he carried her luggage for her as far as he could follow her.

Just before the security clearance desk, Adrien stopped her and pulled her close to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, and Marinette found her resolve weakening. How could she leave him? How could she tear herself away from that addictive warmth, from that soothing touch?

"I'm going to miss you," Adrien whispered, pulling away from her just enough to plant a searing kiss on her lips. A kiss that left her legs feeling like jelly, her heart beating furiously and her mind foggy with want.

Never in her life had boarding a plane been that hard for Marinette.

Leaving him behind a year prior had been easy. She was fleeing, putting her old life behind her and wasn't looking back.

Leaving him behind now was a real torture. Her heart was stuck in that Parisian airport, with that handsome young man kissing her like she was his oxygen, not caring the slightest about the curious looks other travellers were giving them.

Part of her, the selfish part, almost threw everything away right then. Shanghai be damned, her career be damned, every single reason keeping her away from him be damned. She wanted nothing more than to stay into his arms and forget about everything else.

But the other part, the reasonable one, knew that if she truly loved him, staying with him wasn't an option.

Reluctantly, using all of her self-control, she pulled away from him, taking her suitcase from him. "T-thanks for accompanying me, Adrien."

He smiled at her, pulling her back to peck her softly on the lips. "Always, Marinette. I'll always be there for you. I love you. Have a safe flight okay?"

Despite her entire being disagreeing, despite how much she wanted to run back to Adrien's arms and never leave them again, Marinette walked into the plane, choking back on the sobs threatening to overcome her.

She wanted to be with him. She wanted to build a life of their own, away from the cameras, away from the akumas. She wanted a family with him, she wanted to be his and call him hers. She wanted to build a home with him, come home from work to him and cook meals for them.

Their own little private nest.

But deep down, she knew it was impossible. That she couldn't do those things with him. That being selfish would only bring Adrien more heartbreak.

So she climbed aboard that plane, and repressed the instincts that screamed to her to run back to her partner's arms and never leave his side again.

This was only the third time Marinette flew from Paris to Shanghai. But it was the first time seventeen hours in the clouds felt so excruciatingly long. Her mind was screaming at her endlessly, begging her to go back, to return to Adrien.

To where she belonged.

When she landed a while later, eyes red and puffy from crying all flight long, Marinette retrieved her luggage and powered back on her phone with shaky fingers. It almost instantly chimed in her palm.

 _[Adrien] I love you Marinette._  
 _[Adrien] I'm not giving up._  
 _[Adrien] Call me when you land. I wanna know you got there safe._ _  
[Adrien] I love you_.

She smiled through her tears, her heart skipping a few beats. She fidgeted with her phone for a few minutes, hesitating. Tikki patted her shoulder, peeking an eye out of her charge's trench coat.

"Marinette…" she sighed softly, "you really should try to be happy. We don't know how much time you have left."

"I don't want to break his heart again, Tikki," Marinette answered, her eyes beginning to fill with tears again.

Tikki sighed, and pressed herself to her charge's cheek. "Don't you think he would be happy to have at least what little you can give him?"

Conflicting emotions seized Marinette then, and she found her resolve weakening. Adrien and her were on two different continents. Surely she couldn't do much harm by talking with him every now and then, right?

She caved in and called him on her way to her flat, and they ended up talking about their current lives, about their feats of strength as superheroes, about their projects. He told her again that he loved her, that he wouldn't ever give up on her. That he would be there, no matter what.

He called her back later that day to chat some more, and she set up a video chat with him the next morning, not realizing it would be the middle of the night for him.

They spoke every single day from that point.

He would go to sleep in the wee hours of the morning, insisting on being awake to wish her a good day despite Marinette telling him almost daily that she was perfectly able to wait until sunrise in Paris to talk to him.

She would go to sleep late also every day, waiting on news from him from his day. Whereas she was usually sleeping late as much as she could, she found herself waking up around five or six a.m. every morning, looking forward to hearing his voice.

She loved him.

Trying to deny it was useless. The way her heart skipped a beat every time his name appeared on the screen of her phone, the way a fond smile spread on her lips every time she thought of him, the way she often caught herself daydreaming about a life with him…

She couldn't lie to herself anymore.

But surely, the distance she had put between them would be enough to keep things from getting out of hand.

Right?

* * *

"Stop saying things like this!" Marinette giggled, unable to sound even remotely annoyed. "It's like 1 a.m. in Paris right now! You shouldn't even be up, you're going to be dead on your feet in the morning. How can you even be that cheerful after the day you had?"

The traffic light switched, and the pedestrian sign lit up. She crossed the path, her messenger bag held tight on her shoulder and her phone pressed against her ear.

" _So what?_ ," Adrien laughed through the electronic device. " _One in the morning is as good as any hour to tell a wonderful woman just how much you love her, won't you agree, my lady?_ "

Marinette giggled again, sighing dreamily. "I love you too, Adrien. I miss you."

" _I miss you too, princess. Today's the big day, huh?_ "

She glanced briefly at her bag, his words reminding her just how much was at stake. "Yeah. I present my very own designs for the first time today. Wish me luck?"

He chuckled, a sound that warmed her like no other. " _That would be silly, now, wouldn't it? Wishing luck to Lady Luck herself. Tikki's with you?_ "

"Yeah, but—"

" _No buts_ ," Adrien cut her off. " _Everyone at Xinlelu is going to love you. And if they don't, they're a bunch of old pricks with no knowledge of fashion whatsoever."_

Marinette's free hand rose instinctively, her fingers wrapping around the pendant nested between her breasts. Two weeks after their fateful Parisian encounter, her entire being was longing for him, his soft and soothing voice calling out to her like a siren song. Every time missing him became painful, she touched the black cat Swarovski crystal pendant he had sent her a week prior.

Something to remember him by, he had said.

Something that proved she hadn't dreamed those few hours in a Parisian hotel room.

Smiling into her phone, Marinette walked toward her office building. "Chaton? I can hear you yawning. Go to sleep."

" _No can do_ ," Adrien chuckled. " _I'll sleep once I know you got to work safe and sound._ "

She smiled again, love for him filling her. "I'm okay, Kitty. I'm living in Shanghai, not New York's Hell's Kitchen."

" _Even so, you are still a young lady living alone in a foreign country. Please humour me?"_

His tone was gentle, not prodding nor patronizing. "Alright, Adrien," she said as she pushed the heavy door of a tall skyscraper. "I'm here. Want me to call you tonight to let you know how it went?"

Adrien sighed loudly on the other side of the line. " _I got a board meeting tonight. Can I Skype you before?_ "

Marinette took out her ID card and swiped it through the terminal at Xinlelu's entrance. The security guard smiled at her, greeting her in Wu dialect. Marinette answered in Mandarin, but the guard smiled in answer nonetheless.

"I won't be out before six, will you call me when that board's meeting of yours is over?"

He swore under his breath, before answering softly, " _I don't think I'll be free before seven. That's one a.m. for you. Don't wait on me, Princess."_

Marinette pressed the buttons to her level, his voice still warming her insides pleasantly. "You're exhausted, Adrien. Go to bed, I beg you, I'll wait for you tonight, I'm off tomorrow so I can sleep in. Sweet dreams, mon Chaton."

" _I'll be waiting for your call, princess. I love you,_ " he answered gingerly, his voice soft and caring. " _Don't leave me hanging, alright?_ "

She pulled out her identification badge, securing her phone between her cheek and her shoulder.

"I love you too, Adrien. I'm going in now, so I'll text you to let you know how it went."

" _Sounds perfect, princess. Blow them off their socks._ "

Marinette smiled, and said softly, "I'll try. Say hi to Plagg for me. Sleep tight."

Five minutes later, she was walking into Xinlelu's head offices, her designs held close to her chest.

Eight hours later, she was walking out to her flat, an official position into Xinlelu secured and her heart filled to the brim of positive emotions.

* * *

"Adrien, we're out of Camembert. Again."

Adrien turned off his phone and let out a loud sigh. "Go to sleep, Plagg. I'll go out and buy some more in the morning."

"No can do. I'm starving," the destruction god pouted, fleeting in front of his charge. "Besides, you owe me. Big time."

The young man stood up, shaking his head. "And just how much longer do you intend on punishing me, Plagg? I said I was sorry."

Plagg huffed indignantly, staring down at Adrien with a disdainful frown. "And you think your pitiful apologies make up for the affront you made me? _AN ENTIRE YEAR_ without being graced with my godly presence, and the first thing you do upon getting me back is ignore my grandiose return to engage into repulsive mating rituals with Ladybug."

Adrien sighed as he changed into his pajamas. "Just call her Marinette, Plagg. And I'm sorry, okay?"

"Your words are empty if they're not backed with fragrant cheese, Adrien. Get me Camembert, I'm starving."

The young man ducked under his blankets, and chuckled lightly. "Go to sleep, Plagg. If you do, I might let you on video chat tomorrow morning to talk to Tikki."

"You fiend!" Plagg objected loudly. "You can't hold Tikki hostage like this!"

"I can, and I will. Goodnight, Plagg."

Any further objections from the kwami were tuned out as Adrien drifted off to sleep, steel like resolve to settle things here in Paris and take a plane to Shanghai as soon as possible filling his lovesick mind.


	4. Chapter 4: Feelings

Marinette tucked her phone back into her pocket, repressing a long sigh.

It was currently two p.m. in Shanghai, meaning it was barely eight in the morning for Adrien. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume he might still be asleep despite his early-riser personality. After all, he had had a rough week, full of appointments so boring he hadn't even tried to explain them to her. And, to be completely fair, Adrien _had_ warned her the night prior that he would be unreachable for most of that day.

But part of her, the petty part, couldn't get over the fact that she had usually received a bunch of messages from him by that hour. And she missed him dearly.

True, he didn't owe her anything. True, he was more than free to do whatever he wanted with his free time.

But she missed him.

She missed his lame puns, she missed the way he always dragged the conversation out until he was sure she was safe and sound in her office, she missed the short sigh he always made before saying, "I love you." The way his brow furrowed on video chat when he was thinking, the way he always shoved his kwami aside with a fond smile whenever Plagg tried to steal the spotlight and talk to Tikki over their own conversation.

9,257 kilometres were keeping them apart.

9,257 kilometres she had willingly put between them, aiming to protect his heart from further harm.

What she had failed to factor in her decision, though, was her own feelings.

How she would miss the warmth of his arms, how she would miss the feeling of his lips on her skin. How every day without him by her side would be sheer torture.

" _Is everything okay, Mlle Dupain-Cheng?_ " her assistant enquired in Mandarin, smiling at her new boss softly.

Marinette shook her thoughts clear. Now wasn't the time to dwell on what could've been, she had a job to do, and people were counting on her. She willed a warm smile on her lips and answered in kind, " _Everything's fine, Jinghua. Thanks for worrying, though._ "

She couldn't let her sour mood affect others, she wouldn't allow it. With a longing sigh, she checked her phone again for any notifications and plopped it down on her desk. Adrien was busy. He would text or call her as soon as he would be available, and her pathetic and empty life would resume its course.

Forcing herself to focus on the task at hand, Marinette tackled a few designs, rectifying the colours and the lines on her sketches. She lost herself in her drawings, working of the upcoming collection with all her might, doing her best to distract herself from her grim thoughts with her art. Jinghua interrupted her a few times through the afternoon, insisting that she'd eat at least a sandwich and then bringing her a Chinese tea a few moments after.

The next time her assistant knocked on her office door, Marinette barely managed to keep in the frustrated sigh threatening to cross her lips. The girl was lovely, and a great help, but her tendencies to fuss over her boss was grating on her nerves. " _Jinghua, I'm fine, honestly, stop worrying about me._ "

" _I'm sorry for disturbing you again, Mlle Dupain-Cheng,_ " Jinghua said, an odd smile and out of place on her lips, " _but your 3 o'clock appointment is here._ "

That effectively made Marinette pause, staring at her assistant blankly. They had gone over her afternoon schedule together earlier, and she knew perfectly well that her afternoon was completely free. " _Wait, you must be mistaken Jinghua. I had no further appointments today, you said as much not even two hours ago._ "

"Does that mean I can't take you out for dinner?" a familiar voice wondered in perfect French, and time stopped for a second. Marinette looked past her assistant, dumbfounded, and felt as if her eyes were betraying her, playing a cruel trick on her.

But he was _really_ there.

Standing on the threshold of her office in the flesh and bones, his signature Chat Noir's smirk stretching his lips. Even more handsome than she remembered, six feet tall of lean muscles and spotless skin, blond hair swept back and green eyes shining with mischief.

 _"Adrien!?"_

Next second, Marinette was _flying_ out of her chair. All care and pretense about upholding her professional image went out the window as she threw herself at him, lacing her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a passionate kiss.

Her lips devoured his, weeks of longing pouring into their embrace as she clung to him, unable to believe that she really was feeling his skin under her fingers, tasting his breath under her lips.

Someone cleared their throat somewhere in the background, and she suddenly snapped back to reality. They weren't in a hotel room away from prying eyes, much less in a deserted cemetery. They were at her workplace, with a very eager witness. She jolted away from Adrien, a fiery blush spread on her cheeks, perfectly matched by his current complexion.

Jinghua grinned, eyeing her boss with a teasing wink. " _Your fiancé is really a handsome man, Mlle Dupain-Cheng._ "

" _Oh he's not—"_ Marinette weakly stammered, convinced there was no way that her embarrassment could get any worse.

Leave it to her dear Chat Noir to prove that statement wrong.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and flashed his million-watts smile at Jinghua, saying in perfect Mandarin, " _Thank you very much, but I am the lucky one here, not her._ "

The surprised gasp from Jinghua and the playful punch on his arm from Marinette seemed to please him to no end. With a frustrated groan, the latter mumbled under her breath, " _I guess I'm taking the afternoon, Jinghua, will you be alright?_ "

" _Enjoy your night out, Mlle Dupain-Cheng. I'll see you on Monday._ "

Adrien retrieved her cardigan from the coat rack and helped her put it on. " _Don't worry, Mlle, I'll bring her back safe and sound on Monday._ "

Minutes and a lot more subtle teasing from her assistant later, they exited the Xinlelu's building hand in hand, their fingers intertwined closely. Adrien pressed a kiss on her temple, gazing at her lovingly. "Happy to see me, my Lady?"

She revelled in his touch, ignoring the familiar burning in her lungs.

"So _that_ 's what you meant when you said you were busy today?"

He suddenly looked like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "A seventeen-hour-long flight tends to keep a man occupied."

"Are you tired?" Marinette asked, tenderly stroking the side of his hand with her thumb. "We can go back to my apartment if you want to nap. How long are you staying?"

"I slept on the plane, I'm perfectly fine, princess. And I missed you way too much to waste precious hours in your company sleeping. And nothing's waiting for me in Paris, I'm staying as long as you'll have me."

This answer, even though she had been expecting it, threw Marinette in a wild roller coaster of conflicting emotions.

Adrien was there.

Not ten thousand safe kilometers away from her, but there, within arms reach.

Part of her wanted nothing more than to lock them both in her apartment and have her way with him. Weeks of teasing each other on video chat, weeks of replaying their steamy and unique night over and over again in her lonely sheets, weeks of missing his touch had made her desperate for him, desperate for his kisses and his worshipping of her body.

But the rational part of her knew that Adrien's presence couldn't bode well.

Surely he would notice something was off. And she would break his heart all over again.

But she wanted to be with him so much it hurt. Her entire being was aching for him desperately, and Tikki's encouraging gentle nudge from within her purse made her cave in. She smiled at him softly, not letting go of his hand. "How about we get some dinner, then?"

"I like how you think, my Lady."

* * *

Marinette's back slammed on her front door, her legs wrapped around Adrien's waist. He was lavishing her throat with open-mouthed kisses, his fingers tugging at her cardigan.

"Wait," she asked in between kisses, breathless, "what … what are we doing?"

"Well…" Adrien trailed off as he pushed the frustrating garment off her shoulders, "I don't know about you, but I am about to make love to a wonderful," he planted a kiss on her collarbone, "beautiful," a kiss on the swell of a breast, "and overall amazing woman whom I've missed a lot," he said, pulling her shirt over her head.

Marinette felt herself burning with want, with need. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, tugging on them furiously. "That's not what I meant," she huffed, whimpering with desire as his finger dug into her hips. "Us, this, what are we doing? What are we?"

Part of her was afraid she'd ruin the mood with her untimely question, but she needed to know. She had to, before her insecure heart drove her crazy. Were they only playing around? What was he expecting from their relationship? Was it something she could give him without compromising her secret? Were they supposed to be exclusive? If not, how could they work that out?

Did he plan on staying in Shanghai?

Adrien pulled back slightly from her, cupping her cheek with his large hands. "I love you," he breathed softly, gazing at her like she was some sort of invaluable treasure.

Marinette giggle, leaning into his touch. "I love you too, Adrien, but that's not my point."

He dived back in, kissing the side of her neck with a fervour that sent chills down her spine. "Maybe not, but it's mine," he whispered in a husky tone. "I love you, and you love me. That's all that matters. Who cares if we don't slap a label on _us_?"

Her legs still wrapped tight around his waist, he carried them both to the couch. She was peppering feverish kisses all over his face, clinging to him like a lifeline. "But—" she objected weakly, her word swallowed by Adrien's hungry kiss.

"I don't care about _words_ , Marinette," he said before devouring her lips again. "You can be my girlfriend, my fiancée, my wife, my friend, my soulmate, my significant other, my partner. You can be anything you want. I don't think they invented a word _powerful_ enough to tell how I feel about you. As long as I get to love you and be with you. That's all I want."

Hearing those words was Marinette's undoing.

She had loved him, both sides of him, for so long that she unravelled within his arms, pulling him close for another passionate kiss, ignoring everything that wasn't Adrien, that wasn't his hands removing her layers of clothes with a care akin to worship, that wasn't his lips caressing her skin.

That might be why the familiar burning flaring up in her lungs caught her by surprise that much.

One second she was kissing Adrien with all the love she could pour into a single embrace, the next she was almost convulsing within his arms in a violent coughing fit.

Taken aback, Adrien clung to her body, pulling her into a tight embrace and rubbing comforting circles on her lower back. "Mari? Marinette? Are you okay princess? What's wrong? Please talk to me!"

Marinette whimpered pitifully, a fire she knew all too well burning up her throat. Shaking uncontrollably, she felt consciousness drifting away from her as Adrien kept repeating her name over and over again, hot salty tears rolling down his cheeks.

Before darkness claimed her, she gathered her strength and gently cupped his cheek, forcing herself to smile at him in between coughs. "Ki … ki … kitty…"

Then everything went black.

And if Marinette didn't notice the blood splatters on Adrien's shoulder, he most definitely did.


	5. Chapter 5: Scared

Adrien was scared of many things in life.

He had spent most of his childhood being deathly afraid of clowns and needles, and as an adult he was scared of many things he wouldn't dare to name, his accountant (how a man could be this depressing _and_ lacking any basic sense of style was beyond him) and his overbearing father coming back from the afterlife to haunt him being only the tip of the iceberg.

But seeing the woman he love more than anything he had ever held dear cough splatters of blood on his shoulder before fainting in his arms definitely was the scariest thing he had ever experienced. When she went limp in his embrace, Adrien felt as if his heart had just stopped in his chest and time had stalled its course. He froze, cradling her half naked body against his skin, unable to think clearly anymore.

He was brought back to reality by tiny paws patting his cheek reassuringly. He reluctantly teared his eyes from Marinette's pale face, and when they met Tikki's, he was taken aback by the profound sadness he could read in them. She spoke in a subdued voice, softly, tentatively. "She'll be thirsty when she'll wake up, maybe you'd want to fetch her a glass of water? And she'll want some towels to clean the blood up. It always stains and it makes her mad."

Her words reached Adrien's mind through a thick cloud of confusion and unanswered questions. He nodded weakly, his entire being on automatic pilot. His body complied to Tikki's instructions, carefully lying Marinette's body down on the couch and following the little kwami to the kitchen. But his mind was merely more than a foggy blur, focused on a single obsessing thought.

What was wrong with the woman he loved?

Tikki sat on his shoulder as he filled a tall glass with water with mechanical motions, his lips stretched into a thin line. "She's not gonna be happy you found out. She tried really hard to hide this from you."

He paused, leaning on the sink and closing his eyes. The room was spinning around him, and his blood was pounding in his ears. Everything was going too fast for him to be able to keep up with the music.

Barely ten minutes ago he was laying feverish kisses on the woman of his dreams and undressing her lavishingly, without a single worry brushing up his mind. He had given up his boring job in management back in Paris without as much as a second thought, had sublet his flat and packed his belongings onto the first plane to Shanghai, surrendering to fate.

He hadn't known upon boarding that plane where he and Marinette stood, if there would ever be hopes of anything close to a romantic relationship for them. But he knew that they deeply loved each other and that his life in Paris was stalling. He was left without a family, with a withering career that was unfulfilling at most, and his only friends were travelling the world chasing their own dreams. An unexpected chance at being with Marinette, with his lady, had been the shiniest glimmer of hope he had gotten in a year. He had been happy solely to be allowed to hold her, to kiss her and to love her without having to hold back, to hide how he truly felt about her.

Barely ten minutes ago, he had been the happiest man on Earth.

And now here he was, desperately trying to collect his thoughts in his former partner's kitchen while she was lying unconscious on her couch, fear coldly gripping as his insides.

And while he dreaded the answers that he didn't want to hear, part of him couldn't handle his imagination running wild with worry. Was she hurt? Sick? Was it a cancer slowly gnawing at her? Or an old untreated wound of their superhero days coming back to haunt her? Was she constantly in pain? How long had this been going on without him knowing that his counterpart needed him? How often had she passed out like this? How did she managed at work? How many time had she hurt herself, or put herself in danger because of those fainting spells?

"What's… what's wrong with her?" he finally asked Tikki in a weak whisper, bracing himself for a blow he didn't know if he couldn't stomach.

 _You're going to lose her too, you're going to lose her too, you're going to lose her too,_ his mind chanted frantically, all the people that had left him in the short span of his existence floating at the forefront of his mind. His power-thirsty father, who chose a vain quest over his very own son. His beloved mother, who had vanished into the realm of wonders, leaving her child with more questions than answers. Nino, who was busy building a life of his own with Alya, and was trying really hard to make him feel like a third-wheel but was failing miserably. Chloe, who had wounds of her own to tend to, and was going in and out of rehab, stubbornly dating jerks instead of acknowledging her more-than-obvious feelings for a certain redhead from their college days. All of his so-called friends, who had turned their backs on him the second things had gotten rough. Nathalie vanishing out of his life shortly after his father's demise, the Gorilla leaving him to go watch over another rich kid.

He couldn't stand the thought of Marinette, his lady, his love, his partner, his princess, leaving him too. She was all he had left. She was his everything, the thing that tethered him to reality. In that short amount of time, Marinette had been able to fill the void Ladybug had left in his life and then some.

He loved so many things about her.

Loved her stubbornness, the fire in her voice when she was talking about fashion. Loved the way her eyes lit up whenever he mentioned their heroic feats. _Adored_ the way she said " _I love you,"_ the blush that dusted her cheeks when he told her how highly he thought of her. Loved the notes of her voice, the freckles on her cheeks, the spark in her eyes.

The very thought that this, whatever this could be called, could be taken away from him made him sick to his stomach. How cruel fate could be? Giving her back after an entire year of mourning and longing for her, only to take her back from him selfishly merely even a few weeks later?

Tikki sighed resignedly, nuzzling his cheek with her head. "She's really sick, Adrien. I… We don't know exactly what's wrong, the doctors are still investigating. But the fainting spells happen more and more often as time go by. She seemed to have a short break from them when she came back from Paris the last time, so we thought she was finally doing better, but they're apparently back now. She started coughing blood a few months ago, shortly before flying back to France."

"What happened to make her sick like this?" Adrien's voice was weak, blanched. His fists were clenching on the edges of the kitchen sink, trying to make sense of the words the poor kwami was saying to him. Making sense of "sick", "blood" and "wrong".

But his heart couldn't accept it.

Tikki sighed again, unable to unsee the resolve the young man's eyes. "We don't know what's wrong," she said. "All the doctors she saw yet said is that she has some unidentified dark spots on her lungs' radiographs. And that they somehow keeps growing exponentially." Sadness and grief was clear as day in Tikki's entire demeanour. Her entire expression was downcast, avoiding his gaze, and a certainty suddenly fell upon Adrien.

"Is that why she left me in Paris weeks ago?" he asked, knowing the answer even before Tikki answered.

Predictably, the little deity nodded. "The fainting spells began roughly around the time she moved to Shanghai last year. I… I thought that whatever she had was due to her exceptional exhaustion, or that her lungs got irritated from digging through the remains of the manor and inhaling dust all that time. But… she kept getting worse, even after moving here. Nobody knows about this sickness yet, not even her parents."

Adrien took a deep breath, trying to calm his jittery nerves on his own. "But… why? Why is she going through this on her own? She should have told me when we found each other back, I would've been there for her, I would've-"

"She loves you too much, Adrien," Tikki cut him off. "The last thing she wanted was to put you through losing her all over again."

Blood pounded in his ears as the little magical being echoed his worst fears and he suddenly felt like he was free falling. "L-losing her?"

"I… I think she's dying, Adrien," Tikki said, carefully avoiding his gaze.

As if on cue, a whimper of pain reached their ears from the living room, and Adrien rushed to the couch, his heart caught somewhere in his throat.

"Marinette? Marinette, my lady, my love, are you okay?" he fussed over her, desperate to know that she was fine, that the last ten minutes or so had only been an awful nightmare. He would wake up anytime soon, and find out that Marinette and him were happily married, with a kid on the way, and that nobody was dying from an unknown illness.

Oblivious to the conflicted thoughts raging within him, Marinette weakly gestured to the glass he was still clutching between trembling fingers, and he hurriedly helped her drinking long swigs of water. As soon as she was done, Marinette looked down at her joined hands in her lap, her expression somewhat guarded, downcast. He noticed somewhere through his worried sick mind that she was trying to cover herself up, to gain back a semblance of decency.

Adrien scrambled to hand her her shirt, mind still trying to reel in everything that Tikki had said to him in the last few minutes. Marinette hastily pulled the garment over her head, and before she could retreat within herself again Adrien caught her hands in his, staring at her blank expression for a moment before pleading softly, "Marinette? Talk to me please, I beg you."

"I'm sorry," she whispered half-heartedly, her pretty blue eyes filling up with tears. "I'm so sorry, Adrien. I… I know I should've told you, but—."

His heart broke into his chest upon seeing the pain painted so obviously on her beautiful face. Guilt was very obviously gnawing at her in a painful way, and he tried his best to ease her troubled mind. "You were only trying to protect me, Mari, that's okay. I understand."

"No, it's not okay," Plagg's voice drawled out from his vantage point on the television. "This happened more than once in the past, Tikki. My kittens would be dying and refusing to tell their ladies, and all that would be left in the end would be regrets and heartbreak. How could you let your chosen do such a stupid mistake?"

Tikki frowned, looking at her counterpart with salty tears filling her blue eyes. "I… I don't have as much experience as you do with … dying charges."

"What … what does that even mean?" Adrien asked, his voice barely above a whisper and perfectly mirroring Marinette's sudden worries.

"Plagg lost too many Chat Noir to count them. They often died in combat, and whenever they didn't they never survive their lady very long. They… They usually don't cope well with grief," Tikki explained, pointedly avoiding his gaze. "I … I've been lucky so far. I only lost a handful of Ladybugs, and only two died shortly after their partner."

Plagg groaned, flying in front of a defeated-looking Marinette. "So, little Ladybug, please stop pushing Adrien away. You're only hurting you both in doing so."

Somewhat dazed by the weight of the kwamis reveal, Adrien reached forward, cupping Marinette's cheek with his hand. "I love you, Marinette. I really do. Whatever life throws our way, we are going to face it together, as partners. Okay?"

Marinette's weak and tearful nod was enough to fill Adrien with hope.

Hope for better days.

For both of them.


	6. Chapter 6: Overprotective

"Adrien Agreste, I'm not made of glass. I can walk just fine on my own," Marinette pouted as they got out of the taxi on the sidewalk in front of the hospital. Adrien had grabbed her hand right away, clutching it jealously and earning himself a deathly glare from his lady. Adrien chuckled, pointedly ignoring her objections and not relinquishing his grip on her hand the slightest. They walked through the hospital doors, and when it became clear that he had no intention of letting go of her hand anytime soon, Marinette let out a frustrated scoff.

If Marinette previously thought Chat Noir, and per extension Adrien, was slightly overprotective, it was nothing compared to how he was behaving toward her now. Ever since finding out about her mysterious sickness, he was always a few steps ahead of her, using his free time while she was at work to cook and clean for her. He walked her from and to the office, had taught Tikki how to use her phone in case of emergency. He had roamed Internet in search of hints concerning her health problems, and was taking such great care of her that she found herself wondering how she had lived on her own before.

He was present and supportive, without being overbearing.

Except right now. Because right now, as they were headed to her monthly appointment to monitor the progression of the sickness, Adrien was beside himself with worry, and was treating her like a porcelain doll. "You're being ridiculous, Adrien," she sighed, the fond smile on her lips betraying her true feelings. "Next thing I'll know you'll be wheeling me around in a wheelchair."

She regretted her words the second she had voiced them out. She should've known better than giving ideas to her over-protective boyfriend? Partner? Significant other? She sighed inwardly, promising herself that she and Adrien had to address the issue of their relationship really soon. It was becoming exhausting to try to avoid getting ahead of herself and label him something he might not be comfortable with. Not to mention the curious stares and the rumors that they had sparked at her office, Adrien's constant presence by her side raising more than a few questions.

Predictably, the green eyes she had missed so much shone with true Chat Noir mischief. "That's not a bad idea, actually. Do you think they'll lend us one?"

"Adrien," Marinette growled warningly, "don't you dare coming anywhere near me with a wheelchair. I'm not afraid of making you sleep on the couch."

He chuckled again, lifting their joined hands up so that he could plant a soft kiss on her knuckles. "I remember a certain someone stating just yesterday before falling asleep in my arms that she didn't know how she managed to sleep without her, and I quote, 'giant warm kitty pillow' before."

She handed her hospital card to the lady at the front desk, frowning playfully at Adrien. "You've grown a tad too comfortable, kitty. Maybe I should send you back to Paris by tomorrow's first plane."

He gasped theatrically, grabbing her hand once more and ignoring her menacing glare. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Just try me, minou."

The lady handed her card back, and they headed to the waiting room, still playfully bantering with each other in Mandarin. Once they reached the room, though, Adrien took a look around them and switched to French, looking at Marinette intently, "While you were unconscious the other day, Tikki told me you became sick shortly after moving here. Have you ever thought of going back to Paris? Maybe something in Shanghai's air is the problem?"

Marinette sighed, lacing her fingers through his. "I… I can't go back there, Adrien. I… There's something I haven't told you yet."

He quirked an eyebrow up, his breath hitching in his throat. The last time she had hidden something from him, he had learned she was dying. What could be worse than that? "More secrets you kept from me?"

"Not really…" she looked around them, relieved to find them alone, and resumed in French for added privacy. "When the mansion collapsed on us back then, all I could feel was complete panic. I couldn't hear anything, I couldn't breathe. You weren't anywhere to be found, I was clutching your ring so hard that my fingers hurt, and one of my best friend had gotten hurt and ended up in a coma. I was a mess.

"For days, all I could do was rummage through the rubble, trying to find something, anything, that could tell me where you were. I searched for days and nights. Alya had to stop me multiple times, so I'd at least eat or drink something, I kept searching long after the rescue teams had gone to sleep. It seems really silly now, but I was even mad that we managed to save Adrien-you, but that I couldn't protect Chat Noir-you. I was going completely mad with worry.

"Meanwhile they were already organizing your national funerals, setting up that stupid statue that I hated so much, but I refused to give up. Giving up meant accepting you were dead, and that was something I couldn't bring myself to do.

"About a week after the fight, I was still going through the ruins, your ring tied around my neck. I was exhausted, but I was still hoping, you know? Up until a small man in a Hawaiian shirt approached me shortly after midnight, telling me he was sorry about how things had ended and asking for your ring."

Tikki carefully peered out of the purse, smiling kindly at Adrien. "This man was Master Fu, the Great Guardian of the Miraculous. He's the one who chose Marinette and you to be Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Adrien nodded and looked at Marinette. "Why did he want the ring?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, "he said that he had to take it to someone important. I… I panicked. I didn't want him to give your ring to someone else. I didn't want another Chat Noir. That ring belonged to you, and short of having an irrefutable proof that you were really gone, I couldn't stand the idea of anyone replacing you.

"And Tikki had mentioned before that there could be only one Chat Noir to one Ladybug. If I had given the ring to that man, would he have asked for the earrings next? Would giving up on you have meant giving Tikki up also?

"My brain just kinda disconnected right then. I didn't even answer Fu. The next thing I know I was flying myself out of his reach, and I was running back home on the roofs. I desperately needed to put as much distance as I could between me and him to protect what I had left of you, so I packed my things in a hurry and booked the longest flight I could find on such short notice.

"Two days later, I was landing in Shanghai. I found a designer willing to give an internship even if I was arriving without notice, found a flat and started a new life.

"I started coughing a few days later, and started fainting at the most random times. The worst symptom is the burning in my lungs, though. I went to a few doctors, and all they could find is that there are some spots on my lungs, but they don't know what causes them. The doctors don't know how much time I have left, they don't know anything.

"I… I haven't been able to tell anyone yet, not even my parents. And I've been back to Paris only once in the past year, on a business trip that time we met in the cemetery. I couldn't tell them. They were so happy to see me, I couldn't ruin the mood with news like that.

"And I'm scared that if I ever go back to France, Fu will find me and take Tikki away from me."

He grabbed her hand, gently stroking the side of her thumb with his. "Why would he take her back?"

"I basically _stole_ our Miraculouses, Adrien. I took them and vanished out of the country. I can't possibly imagine he's pleased with me."

" _Mme Dupain-Cheng?_ " the nurse voice interrupted them. " _It's your turn._ "

She stepped into the changing room, Adrien leaving her with a parting peck on her lips. "I'll wait for you in the other room," he said, reluctantly letting go of her hand.

With the ease of someone that had done it too many times before, Marinette took off her clothes and slipped into a hospital gown. Tikki helped her to tie it in her back, and she went to lie down on the radiology machine. The cold metal of the machine against her bare skin made her nervous, and she instinctively looked at the glass bay where the nurse and the radiologist were waiting for her signal. Her eyes found Adrien's, and he flashed her a comforting smile. Trying to calm her jittering nerves, she closed her eyes and nodded briefly.

The machine went into motion over her, scanning her lungs in a familiar manner. She hated that part, when she was on the verge of finding out how much the sickness had spread. A few minutes later the nurse exited the bay to help her down the table. " _How are you feeling?_ " she asked her as Marinette walked on wobbly feet.

" _I'm terrified,_ " she answered truthfully.

The nurse smiled softly. " _Your husband is waiting for you in the consultation room. Go to him, you need him._ "

She couldn't even find it in herself to correct the kind woman. She was right, she needed Adrien. Anxiety was gnawing at her as her fingers shook, making it almost impossible to put her own clothes back on. Tikki risked a paw out of her purse again, gently nuzzling against her cheek.

How she got from the changing room to the consultation room, she had no clue. She was walking on automatic pilot, her entire being longing for Adrien's comforting presence. How she had made it through this entire ordeal before without him by her side, she couldn't tell. But now, Adrien was a huge part of her, and she needed him.

As soon as she stepped over the threshold of the room she was wrapped into his familiar embrace. She leaned into him, taking in his comforting scent, clutching his shirt into her fists.

"You did great," he whispered against her hair. "You're my brave little lady."

They stayed like that for a bit, taking comfort in each other's touch, up until the radiologist came into the room, carrying her X-Rays.

" _Good morning, Mlle Dupain-Cheng. How are we feeling today?_ " he greeted them as he hung up the pictures on the back light.

Marinette sighed, reluctantly tearing herself away from Adrien. " _Not that great. I had another fainting spell earlier this week._ "

" _Was there a change in intensity or frequency?"_

Marinette felt Adrien's fingers wrapped around hers, and it took her everything she had inside herself not to run back to his arms. " _I had a two-weeks break, it was nice._ "

The doctor hummed noncommittally, examining the images that were lit up before his eyes. Marinette finally resigned herself to look for herself, to check how much worse the damages were.

And gasped.

There was an obvious difference between the pictures.

One of them was much worse than the other, the number and the size of the spots being exponentially greater. Adrien was looking at them too, his lips stretched into a tiny line.

Tears threatening to spill on her cheeks, she whispered softly, _"Oh gosh, it has spread again._ "

The doctor turned to look at her when he heard those words, shaking his head disbelievingly, _"What are you talking about, Mlle Dupain-Cheng? Those are last month's images._ " He gestured toward the other set of pictures, the ones that seemed cleaner, healthier. _"It seems like the spots are receding."_

Marinette's world came to a stop.

She heard the words.

She registered them.

But her brain refused to compute them.

Adrien was struggling too, apparently, because he stammered weakly, _"What… what are you saying?"_

The doctor stared back at the pictures, _"What I'm saying is that her condition has somehow improved during the past month. Congratulations, Mlle Dupain-Cheng."_

 _"But…"_ Marinette stuttered, looking at Adrien for reassurance. " _How is that even possible?"_

 _"I… have to admit that I don't know how this is possible, Mlle. I have no way to explain it, it would seem that you are healing."_

Tears spilled on her cheeks, unbidden, and she felt Adrien's fingers clutching hers tighter. They looked at each other, an awed expression on both of their faces.

There it was.

A tiny glimmer of hope.


	7. Chapter 7: In the Rain

The taxi pulled over in front of Marinette's building and Adrien reached forward to pay the driver, thanking him. He held the car door open for her, gently helping her out of the car. She took his hand, remaining resolutely silent. She let him lead her into her apartment, her emotions still all over the place.

If she thought she would be able to fool Adrien, reality quickly caught back with her. As soon as the front door closed behind them, he gathered her into his arms, whispering softly into her ear, "Are you okay, Mari? You haven't said anything ever since we left the hospital."

Marinette leaned into his touch, yet again wondering how she had ever managed to live without him. She savoured how pleasant his fingers were on her skin, how much she enjoyed being cradled against his muscular chest. Months of repressing her emotions took their toll on her, and she whispered softly, "I'm scared, Adrien."

"What? How so? You should be elated."

She buried her nose in his chest and whimpered, "I _know_ that, but I can't help thinking … what if it's only the calm before the storm? What if it's just a break before it gets even worse?"

He held her, wrapping her in as much love as he could. She leaned into him, taking in the strength he was trying to convey to her. Marinette revelled in his touch, savouring his warmth surrounding her. She felt minuscule within his strong arms, she felt safe against his broad chest.

"I love you, Mari, no matter what," Adrien whispered in her hair.

She lifted her eyes toward him, tilting her head back so she could look at him properly. "But … what if I leave you too?"

He sighed softly, planting a peck on the crown of her head. "I'll tell you what. Why don't you treat yourself to a nice, relaxing bath? I'll fix dinner meanwhile."

"But—"

"I mean it," Adrien said, kissing her lightly. "You've just had a really stressful day, please let me take care of you. Okay?"

His voice was so earnest, his eyes so kind, that Marinette couldn't find it in herself to deny him that simple request. He was trying so hard to be helpful, to be a good support for her, that if taking a bath and letting him handle dinner would make him happy, then so be it.

Minutes later, when she lowered herself into the warm, perfumed water, she had to admit that Adrien had a point. The water loosened the knots in her sore muscles, almost magically undid the damages an entire day of intense stress had done to her body. Marinette closed her eyes, resting her head on the bath pillow. It felt nice, focusing on the sensation of the water caressing her skin, of the relaxing scent of her bath oils surrounding her.

How long she stayed in the warm perfumed water of the bath, she couldn't tell, but when she emerged from the bathroom, Adrien was nowhere in sight. In black leggings and a light blue silk bathrobe that reached just below her bottom, Marinette quickly tied her damp hair into a loose bun and wandered through the apartment, curious about her kitty's current whereabouts.

"Adrien?" she called out in the silence of the flat, getting worried about his sudden disappearance.

Had something came up while she was in the bath?

Before her mind could go haywire with crazy theories, the balcony door slid open and the blond peeked his head in, "Done with your bath, princess?"

She smiled at him, a sigh of relief escaping her. "I am. What are you doing out there?"

"Come and see for yourself."

Adrien was clearly proud of himself, grinning from ear to ear like a cat who had just caught the canary. His mischievous smile melted her heart a little further in her chest, and she followed him onto the balcony.

The scene that was awaiting her took her breath away.

He had put a tablecloth on the tiny patio table and had set up a nice candle-lit dinner for the two of them. The heady smell of fresh salmon cooked in a honey mustard sauce was mouthwatering, and the broccoli he had steam-cooked looked crispy. His phone was on the windowsill, soft piano notes coming out of it. Adrien walked ahead of her and poured her a glass of white wine, smiling at her shyly.

"Would you have dinner with me, my lady?"

Marinette looked at his hopeful expression, at the way he was almost bashful standing in front of her like a teenager on his very first date, and she fell in love with him all over again. "Absolutely, Adrien," she answered softly.

They ate in comfortable conversation, the sun setting in the background granted them a felted, romantic atmosphere.

A French love song came on Adrien's phone, softly wrapping them in the warm embrace of its notes on the balcony. Michel Sardou's silvery and pleasant voice filled their quiet evening, the kind of voice you could listen to for hours. She listened to the beautiful words of her mother tongue coming through the electronic device, letting them soothe her aching soul.

Adrien then said softly, "You know, the only time we ever danced together was on the Eiffel Tower, that night many years ago."

Marinette smiled, putting her fork back on her plate. "You forget that time Alya set us up at Chloe's party."

 ** _À faire vieillir, à faire blanchir la nuit,_** ** _  
_** ** _À faire brûler la lumière jusqu'au jour,_**

 ** _"_** Oh man, was I so oblivious back then,» Adrien chuckled. «She spent most of our teenage years trying to set us up, didn't she?"

 ** _À la passion et jusqu'à la folie,_** ** _  
_** ** _Je vais t'aimer, je vais t'aimer d'amour._**

 **"** And you are realizing that just now?» she laughed, «and I thought Nino was slow."

 ** _À faire cerner, à faire fermer nos yeux,_** ** _  
_** ** _À faire souffrir, à faire mourir nos corps,_**

 ** _"_** I'll have you know Alya waited two friggin' years before admitting out loud that she had feelings for Nino. Like, all school knew about it but her."

 ** _À faire voler nos âmes aux septièmes cieux,_** ** _  
_** ** _À se croire mort et faire l'amour encore,_** ** _  
_** ** _Je vais t'aimer._**

"Dance with me," Adrien suddenly blurted out completely off topic, holding his hand out to her.

Marinette giggled, letting him lead her out of her seat and wander a few feet away from their dinner. He wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling at her fondly, and then laced his own arms around her waist. Marinette lifted curious eyes toward him as the music changed on his phone, a Rascal Flatts' song coming on.

"What are we, fifteen?"

A warm smile spread across his lips, and he held her even tighter, their hips gently swaying to the rhythm of the song.

 ** _I will stand by you_ ****_  
_****_I will help you through_**

As they gently moved to the beat of the music, a raindrop suddenly crashed on Adrien's cheek.

"Looks like it's gonna rain, want to take this inside?" he said, not relinquishing his hold on her the slightest.

She rested her head in the crook of his neck, ignoring the raindrops slowly falling all around them. "You know, I first fell in love with you in the rain at the strike of a thunder, back when we here fifteen."

 ** _When you've done all you can do_ ****_  
_****_And you can't cope_**

Adrien stilled in her arms, looking at her intently. "First?"

 ** _I will dry your eyes_ ****_  
_****_I will fight your fight_**

"The first time I fell in love with you was that day in the rain, when we were both fifteen. You tried to apologize for that gum incident and I was being stubborn. You handed me your umbrella, willingly getting wet on my behalf." She kissed him, a feather-light kiss that sent butterflies in his stomach. "I fell back in love with you years later, slowly. I fell for the kind goofball who saved my life time after time and had an infinite supply of bad puns to entertain me on patrol."

Adrien chuckled against her quickly growing damp hair, "you sure you don't want to take this inside? I don't want you to catch a cold."

"No," Marinette said, nuzzling herself further into his embrace. "I want to dance with you in the rain."

He held her even tighter, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Dance with me, then. For the remaining of our lives."

 ** _I will hold you tight_ ****_  
_****_And I won't let you fall_**

Marinette laid her head back in the crook of his neck and whispered softly, "Do you mean it?"

"What?"

"That you want me for the remaining of our lives? That's … that's quite a commitment." Her voice was slightly shivering, her earlier fears resurfacing.

"I love you, Marinette," he stated simply, like those three simple words explained everything.

"I know, but—"

Adrien silenced her by planting a soft peck on her lips. "I wanna be with you. That's all I can say for sure. Be it for a week, for a month, a year, or a lifetime, I wanna spend all the time we have left with you."

When she replied, she spoke so softly that he almost didn't hear her over the sound of the rain. "Why do you wanna be with me so much?"

Adrien smiled, the smile of a man who had just won the lottery, the smile of a cat who had just eaten a canary. "Well, for starters, you are warm and cuddly," he stated, nuzzling his nose into her neck. "You are kind, funny, brilliant, brave and beautiful. Not to mention that you smell _very_ good." He inhaled the perfume lingering in her collarbone deeply, making shivers ran up her skin and her cheeks darken with a blush. "Also, princess," he said smugly, "I happen to be a fan of your body wash. It _tastes_ amazing."

Her blush went a few shades darker at the innuendo, and he just couldn't resist anymore. He caught her lips in a fiery kiss, holding her close to his chest. Her touch was setting his skin ablaze, and he felt like he could combust at any given time.

"Let me take you to bed," Adrien whispered hoarsely in between kisses, and Marinette moaned against his lips, lacing her arms even tighter around his neck. He lifted her effortlessly and carried her inside, never stopping his loving onslaught of kisses as he lay her down on her bed.

Long after, Tikki joined Plagg in the kitchen, landing in front of the Camembert he was devouring.

"Are they finally done with their disgusting mating ritual?" the grumpy kwami asked, not even bothering to look up from his cheese.

Tikki rolled her eyes with an indignant huff. "They are done making love, yes. They are sound asleep, both of them. You're still sour about that time in the cemetery?"

"One year, Tik! One year without me and getting in her pants was more important than even _looking at me._ I appear in the middle of the cemetery and I can't even get as much as a _hello._ " He trailed off, finally looking at his soulmate. She was staring into the distance, her big blue eyes full of sadness. "Hey, Tikki? What's wrong? Were you even listening to me?"

She snapped her attention back to him, her expression still forlorn. "Sorry, Plagg. I… I just don't understand what happened. She was dying, I thought for sure that I was going to lose her just like Joan. And then Adrien and you show up and she's miraculously better. I don't get it."

"Stop worrying about the _why_ , Tik." Plagg said, shrugging. "Us being gods doesn't mean that we can control everything, much less those two hormone-driven idiots. Answers will come in due time."

Tikki snuggled against his side, sighing softly, "do you really think it's gonna be okay?"

"I don't know, Tik. I really don't know, but let's let them have today."

* * *

 _Michel Sardou's French Love Song: Je vais t'aimer_ _  
_ _Rascal Flatts's Supportive Love Song: I Won't Let Go_


	8. Chapter 8: Second Chances

Adrien smiled smugly as he took off his shirt, leaving a gawking Marinette behind him. "Honey, are we still on for that date tonight?"

"I… erm," Marinette staggered, "I'm a little bit tired to be honest, kitty. Can we stay in tonight?"

It was nothing short of the truth. Marinette _was_ tired. Add in the mouthwatering sight of Adrien Agreste standing in the middle of her living room, shirtless and a little bit dishevelled, and she was a goner. Thinking of her lover half-naked was doing little to motivate Marinette to go out instead of having her way with him. She walked up to him, pressing her hand on his bare chest. "I can think of a few things we could do if we stay just right here."

Adrien chuckled, planting a chaste kiss on her lips. "As tempting as that sounds, my beautiful princess, I kinda had the entire evening planned out. Think you can oblige me?"

She looked at him, losing herself in the green of his eyes. "It's really _that_ important to you?"

"It is," he answered softly, claiming another kiss from her.

Marinette smiled at him, leaning into his touch. "Alright then. Can you give me about half an hour to freshen up?"

"I'll be waiting for you, my lady."

Exactly twenty-three minutes later, Marinette emerged from the bathroom, wearing a sinful little red dress with lace sleeves covering her arms. A triangular opening was revealing a tantalizing patch of skin just over her breasts, and the fabric barely covered her thighs.

Marinette smiled when Adrien caught sight of her, clad in that little burgundy number. "Am I dressed up enough for what you have planned?"

Adrien sighed, shaking his head. "You are going to kill me, you know that?"

He was wearing a sparkling white button-up shirt tucked into his black slacks, and a matching tie with a perfect knot. "You're not looking too bad yourself," she said, gently tugging on his tie. "You really don't want to stay here tonight?"

"You really are a little temptress," he chuckled as he kissed her softly. "But yes, I really want to go out. There's something I really wanted you to see."

They finally stepped out into the crisp evening, Adrien clutching her hand almost painfully. She felt him oddly stiff beside her, making meaningless small chat and tripping over simple words. He was obviously concerned about something, and she had absolutely no clue what could be bothering him like that.

"Are you okay?" she ultimately asked as he pushed the gate to a local garden, nervousness still oozing from every single of his pores.

"I…" he answered meekly, fidgeting with something in his pocket, "I'm fine. Really. I just have an appointment in the morning for some job and it's getting me anxious."

"Do you now?" Marinette asked, genuinely curious. "Where? Far from the apartment? Why have you kept quiet about this?"

Adrien chuckled softly, his fingers latching onto hers. "I didn't want to jinx it. I've been relying on you for too long already. Here, our dinner should have been set up this way."

He led her to a small but cozy and inviting gazebo settled right in the middle of the gardens. She followed him into the little shelter, suddenly surrounded by hundreds of bright yellow daffodils and white heather flowers. It was gorgeous, the smell of the flowers surrounding them into a heady but pleasant aroma.

"Adrien? Why is everything yellow? Did you drag me into Chloe Bourgeois's wedding or something?"

She felt him shift beside her, and she gasped as Adrien kneeled before her, taking both of her hands into his. He kissed her knuckles reverently, and stared into her eyes, decidedly announcing, "Marinette, I vow to make you happy, to make you laugh every chance I have and to always be there for you whenever should you need me.

'You are the first person I want to see in the morning when I woke up.' He went on, his eyes never leaving hers, 'and the last face I wanna see at night before I fall asleep. I look forward to loving the smallest moments, like the way your eyes shine while you toss your hair back, the smile on your lips when I tell a lame pun.

"You are my other half. You are the one that makes me laugh when I'm sad, makes me consider when I want to be rash, and finds me when I am lost. You are my guide, my teacher, my _partner,_ " he emphasized with a playful glint in his eyes, "and my one and only true love.

"I know I will not always be what you expect me to be. I might forget to listen or forget to share. I might not always agree with you. I might be stubborn and I might be wrongheaded, but I will always love you. I will always strive to be the man you believe I can be.

"I promise to be there to catch you if you should stumble, carry you over every threshold, and fall in love with you every day.

"I vow to make my life forever yours and build my dreams around you.

"I promise to be the man that I see now in your eyes, today, tomorrow, and for always."

Adrien held out a royal blue velvet box at these words, opening it to reveal a stunning white-gold band adorned with pink diamonds. He ignored Marinette's shocked gasps and went on, his eyes shining with pent-up emotion.

"I promise to be your faithful husband. I promise to love you when the sun shines, when the rain falls, in sickness, and in health. When you look at this ring, think of me and remember that I love you always.

"White heather stands for protection, and daffodils are meant to symbolize new beginnings, second chances. And that's what I want to give you. I want a fresh start with you, I want to build a brand new life for both of us. I want to be there for you when things get rough, I want to share your joys and your dreams with you.

"Marinette, my princess, my lady, will you make me the happiest man alive and become my wife?"

Marinette giggled through the tears of happiness that were streaming down her face. "What … when did you have in mind?"

"Today. Today, as tomorrow might not be ours. I don't want to spend another minute without being able to call myself your husband. But today, today only belongs to us two, and I want to savour every single second I have with you."

There was a spark in his eyes as he spoke, still holding onto her hands. She felt powerful emotions washing over her all at once, how much she had dreamed of this exact moment in her life. How much everything was going too fast, and how much she wished her mother and Alya would be there for them to gush with her about how perfect of a human being Adrien Agreste was.

"I … I don't even… I love you, Adrien, I really do, and I would like nothing better than to become your wife. But nobody even know we got back in touch, let alone that we are dating yet, and it feels wrong getting married while keeping everyone in the dark about our relationship."

Right on cue, the heavy curtain at the back of the gazebo shifted, and five people walked in, wearing matching grins.

Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng, Natalie Sanscoeur, Alya Césaire and Nino Lahiffe.

Marinette looked at Adrien, at a loss for words. "But … how? When? Why?" she stammered weakly, trying desperately to make sense of that unexpected turn of events.

He smirked at her, a smile that was so Chat Noir that Marinette feared for a second that he'd out them to their loved ones right there and then. "I knew you would say that. You would never get married without your father walking you down the aisle if you could help it. Let me ask again, Marinette. Will you marry me?"

Tears streamed down her face for real then, pure bliss washing over her like a tidal wave. She loved that man so much, that man that had found her when she was lost, that man who loved her despite the uncertainty of her future.

Despite her body being broken. Despite her body betraying her.

"Yes," she breathed. "A million times yes."

Sabine Cheng took that as her cue, walking up to her daughter while holding a bundle of scarlet fabric up to her chest. She pulled Marinette into a bone-crushing hug, saying in a voice that oozed love and care, "Don't worry about explanations. Those will come in due time. Now I just want to marry my only daughter to this amazing young man who loves her enough to fly five people in first-class half-across the world only to witness his proposal."

Marinette felt herself blush, the obvious proof of the extent of Adrien's love toward her yet again making her breathless. Alya chimed in from behind Sabine, a playful glint in her hazel eyes, "I mean, we all expect proper explanations about _how_ you both finally acknowledged the painfully obvious and years-overdue romance between you dorks."

Marinette smiled weakly, knowing there was no way she'd be able to explain the exact extent of the bond running between her and Adrien to bystanders eyes. How could she explain years of saving each other's lives time and time again? How could she explain the year she had spent mourning him knowing at the same time that he was alive and well? The long and heartfelt conversation on the Eiffel Tower? The way he had stuck with her through a mysterious illness no one even had a clue about?

Her mother came to her rescue, though, holding up the folded bunch of red fabric. "Let's get you all prepped up for your big day, my lovely daughter."

About an hour later, Marinette stepped back into the small gazebo.

She was now wearing an amazing scarlet satin dress, hugging her curves in an almost sinful way. The only thing saving Adrien from combusting right on the spot upon seeing his blushing bride in that dress was the layer of intricate lace sewn over the satin base. While the satin preserved her dignity, hiding her breasts, stomach and legs, the lace layer had been designed into a more artistic, decorative way.

It hugged her throat into a traditional cheongsam collar and framed her shoulders in a way that made Adrien desperately want to kiss the skin beneath the lace. To add to her future husband's struggles, the dress left her entire back bare, offering a tantalizing diamond shape of skin to his wild and hungry fantasies.

Overall, Marinette was a stunning view from another time, stepping straight out of Adrien's wildest dreams only to taunt him. Sabine had pulled her daughter's hair back into a complicated tight bun, lovely locks framing her face. Her usual discreet makeup had been enhanced, her skin a shade or two lighter than usual, her lips cherry red and her eyes bearing a hint of black that made the blue or her irises pop up like never before.

She looked like a doll.

Like a perfect, porcelain doll.

Marinette smiled at Adrien, shyly, through her ebony coated lashes, and almost whispered, painfully conscious of all the eyes glued to them, "do you really want to do this?"

He stood proudly in front of her, having donned an ebony coat suit on top of his white shirt and black tie while she was getting ready, and answered fondly, "More than anything, princess."

As Marinette took his hands into hers, she suddenly felt as if everything had finally fallen into place in her life.

They stood in front of the celebrant together, hand in hand, lost in each other's eyes. Barely even conscious of their surroundings, they exchanged vows of love and devotion, lost in their own world. And when the celebrant told Adrien that he could kiss his bride, he happily complied, grabbing Marinette into a breathtaking kiss that left them both panting for more.

Applauses tore them out of their little intimate bubble.

They finally were husband and wife.

After a year of mourning each other.


	9. Chapter 9: In Sickness and Health

Marinette laughed, tipping her glass of champagne toward her lips. She flashed an enamoured glance toward Adrien, who in turn just squeezed her fingers under the table.

Her scarlet-red dress was pooling around them on the bench, and reality still had to catch up with him.

 _She is yours,_ his mind kept trying to tell him. _No more games, no more hiding. She's_ lawfully _yours._

On the other hand, Adrien was somewhat reluctant to admit victory that easily.

True, he would love Marinette through thick and thin.

True, he would be by her side no matter what.

 _In sickness and health._

But right now, times were not opportune to mope about something that may never come. They were surrounded by family and friends. People who loved them more than anything.

Tom and Sabine Cheng, who had hopped onto the first available plane when he had reached out to them, no questions asked, wanting to see their daughter no matter the cost.

Alya and Nino, both of them their former best friends, hugging them half to death, dragging them mercilessly on the dance floor, both elated that their friends had finally found each other.

Nathalie, whom he had fallen out of touch with over the years, but whom he couldn't envision getting married to the woman of his dreams without her attending.

After all, _she_ had watched over him for the best part of his life, had been kind of a maternal figure to him ever since his mother's departure. _She_ had tried, despite his father's wishes, to give him a somewhat normal life.

She had always been there for him, seamlessly dealing with his father's every whim and yet being a decent parental figure to him all along.

Nathalie Sancoeur, who wore really badly her surname, who was the closest thing he had to a family.

And Marinette.

His Marinette, small and terrified within his arm, lifting worried eyes toward him. Marinette, the fierce, creative classmate he had always been so fond of. The partner he had always loved.

His _wife._

The second the celebrant had pronounced them husband and wife had been the second Adrien had finally felt alive again.

The second his life had been _his_ again.

They finally were allowed to kiss each other as husband and wife after years of waiting, years of mourning.

Once the ceremony was over, their little party headed to the terrace, where a buffet with a mix of Chinese and French specialties had been laid out. A French love song was playing through some speakers, and Adrien hungrily grabbed Marinette, pulling her into a slow waltz.

They swayed to the music, lost in each other's eyes, their bodies undulating in rhythm. Their guests either joined them or watched them from afar, grinning from ear to ear.

Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning her head into the crook of his neck. "Do you remember the first time we danced like this?"

"You mean on the Eiffel tower?" Adrien chuckled, oblivious to their surroundings."

"No. It was at Chloe's birthday party. What were we, fourteen or fifteen?"

He buried his nose in her hair, sighed wishfully. "What wouldn't I give to go back in time and knock some basic common sense into teenage-Adrien. Do you know how many dates we missed on now? How many birthdays and Christmas gifts I couldn't give you?"

Marinette laughed at her husband's eagerness, planting a kiss on his collarbone through the opening of his shirt. "Adrien, stop. You don't owe me anything. Except trying to be the best husband you can be, while I'm gonna do my best to be a suitable wife for you, alright?"

He grinned, pressing his lips on her forehead. "I love you Marinette. My everything."

The party was in full swing when someone tapped on Marinette's shoulder, interrupting what would've been their tenth or so bride and groom dance. She paused, turning back to look at the intruder, and the loud gasp that left her lips at that moment startled Adrien out of his skin.

"How did you find me?" she asked through clenched teeth, her fingers clutching onto his.

The newcomer, a small Asian man with salt and pepper hair and a matching mustache and goatee, smiled at her warmly, linking his arms in his back.

"Congratulations on your wedding, both of you. I was confident that you'd find your way back to each other before it'd be too late."

Adrien looked at Marinette expectantly, "Wait, Marinette, do you know that man?"

"Adrien," she sighed, "meet Master Fu. He _chose_ us," she emphasized, hoping he'd get the clue because she couldn't possibly elaborate on their bond with their friends and family closely watching. Thankfully, he understood right away, and shot a stern look toward the older man.

"If you're here to reclaim our-"

"I don't want anything from you, young man, I only want to congratulate you and your lucky lady for your long overdue wedding," Master Fu interrupted him. "Speaking of, young lady, how's the health?"

Marinette tensed beside her husband, her fingers holding his almost painfully. "What… Why are you asking?"

Master Fu had an enigmatic smile, and softly said, "I tried to warn you, that evening at the mansion, but you weren't ready to listen yet. Bearing the burden of two souls is far too much for one single heart."

Adrien's heart skipped a beat. "Do you mean that…"

"Yes, son. Wearing both miraculouses is what was hurting your lovely bride's body. I know that she wore the ring on a chain around her neck, so I assume her lungs must have taken the brunt of the damages?"

Marinette nodded slowly, stepping closer to Adrien. "They did. I have been having fainting spells and coughing blood for quite some time now."

"Those days should be mostly over now," Master Fu answered, his voice soft and caring.

Did that really mean…?

"She won't die, then?" Adrien asked bluntly, his hand shaking on Marinette's waist.

Master Fu's smile widened. "Well, someday she will, like everyone else. But not because of the magic. She returned the ring to its rightful owner, which I tried to do a year ago. She'll be fine, now."

Tears welled up in Adrien's eyes, and he pulled Marinette into a bone-crushing hug. "You'll be fine Princess. **_We_ **_'_ ll be fine."

Marinette dissolved into a sobbing mess between his hands, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

"I…" she started, painfully conscious of the eyes of their friends and family trained on them. "I'm sorry, Adrien. I…"

"We'll be fine, Princess," he said again, hugging her close to his chest.

They waltzed through the evening, Adrien holding her close. He kept his hands on her at all times, always holding her hand, wrapping an arm around her back, pressing a kiss on her forehead.

They both went through the reception, talking with their family and friends up in the wee hours of the morning, up until everyone retreated to their hotel rooms, exhausted from all the dancing and all the cheering.

Adrien and Marinette wandered into their own room around four a.m. that night, drunk on each other's touch, antsy to get under each other's skin.

Before she could get Adrien out of his suit, though, Tikki made a frustrated sound and landed on the bed comforter with a deep frown.

"Tikki? Why are you so upset?" Marinette asked once the door of their bedroom closed behind them.

The little kwami pouted, flying in front of her charge. "I should've known. I should've made the connection earlier. All the charges I lost to mysterious diseases were the ones wearing their partner's ring in mourning."

"To be fair, Tik," Plagg interjected, "Joan of Arc was burned at the stake only a few days after the symptoms began. And Alice took her life before they even began. We both assumed that the sorrow of losing their partner was the reason behind their premature deaths. As for my kittens..." he trailed off, but the implications of his words were crystal clear.

Tikki looked at her counterpart with teary eyes. "It doesn't excuse anything. I… We should've seen the signs, we should've taken better care of our charges."

Marinette smiled softly, looking at Adrien. "But we're fine now. Adrien has gotten his ring back, along with Plagg, and according to Fu I'm gonna heal now. Everything's gonna be fine."

"Yes but-"

"No buts, Tikki," Marinette said. "I want to look forward. The past year has been a _nightmare._ I spent too much time mourning him, too much time worrying he would leave me should he find out about my illness. Now I have a chance to build a better life for me, for _us._ I'm not gonna let it pass. I _love_ him, Tikki."

Adrien pulled her to his chest, smiling wildly despite himself. "Do you _really_ mean that?"

"What?" Marinette grinned. "That I love you? Or that I want to build a life with you?"

The young man chuckled softly, pulling her even tighter into his embrace. "You're my wife now. I wanna write a new story with you. I wanna have children with you, and tell the whole world just how much Adrien Agreste loves Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

She beamed at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You know, I used to dream of having three children with you, a girl and two boys. And a hamster. Fifteen-year-old me is probably screaming in a corner as we speak, unable to believe that this, _us_ , really happened."

"Well, the pet shops are closed at this late hour, but we could get started on those three babies you wanted, what do you say?" Adrien teased, his fingers playing with the fastening of her dress.

He kissed her then, a slow and sensual kiss that made his toes curl into his shoes. Her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him close. "Do… do you think he really meant it?"

"Who meant what?" Adrien asked, diving to kiss the hollow of her throat.

She gasped as he nibbled on her collarbone, her fingers diving into his hair. "That I'll make it? I'm not… AH!"

Adrien went back for a taste of her lips, deepening the kiss. His right hand gently cradled her head as he raked his left fingers through her hair. "Less talking, more kissing," he breathed in between loving assault of her lips.

"But-" she tried to object, but he kissed her again, tugging on her waist to line her body with his, dragging her closer. His lips switched trajectory, making their way up her jawline and onto his ear. She whimpered needily in his hold, whispering hoarsely, "Adrien, please-"

"What is it, my lady?" he chuckled lowly, moving his attention to her collarbone again as he walked her back to the bed. "Do you wanna keep talking?"

She keaned under his touch, and rasped hungrily, "I want you inside me. _Now._ "

Her words shot a raw dose of desire down his spine, and his fingers found the fastening of her dress and made quick work of it. The fabric pooled around her legs, leaving her standing in front of him in a mouthwatering lingerie set. Black lace covered her breast in an enticing way, and the matching panties were so tiny they were barely there.

Adrien let out a low growl and wrapped his arms around her, pushing her on the bed. Marinette fell on her back, and Adrien climbed over her on all fours, his hands raking all over her body. "I love you, Marinette, I want you so much."

"Well, then, you _did_ put a ring on it, hot stuff, so take it," Marinette said, her fingers taking purchase into the sheets as his lips latched on her breast through her bra.

Before she knew it his jacket and shirt were off, and he was working his way through her bra. As soon as the garment was off, he slowly marked a trail of kisses and teeth grazes down her abdomen, driving her crazy as he neared her heated sex.

The smell of her arousal was heady, calling to him like a siren song, and she made no move to stop him as he discarded her panties. He dived back, his attention undivided on her pleasure, burying two fingers in her folds while his lips found her clitoris and worshipped her little bundle of nerves.

Soon enough, Marinette was a writhing mess under him, begging and pleading for him to finally take her.

"Adrien Agreste, I swear to God if you don't fuck me right now I'm gonna get a divorce."

With a breathy laugh, Adrien pushed his pants and boxers briefs off his hips and crawled back over her. "Ready?"

"Adrien!" she cried out, but he took that as his cue and buried himself into her folds. She was warm and soft around him and almost too much.

He fell in the rhythm they had perfected over the weeks, in slow, calculated strokes that were sure to bring them both over the edge. He kept peppering kisses all over her face, her neck, her shoulders as he could feel her clench around him, her fingers digging into the skin of his arms.

Her release was his undoing.

He fell into bliss with her, her orgasm pulling every drop of pleasure from his body.

He gathered her into his arms, pulling her close to his heart and planted a kiss on the crown of her head.

"I love you, Marinette. For better and for worse."

They fell asleep like that, in the aftermaths of pleasure, their limbs entangled on the bed, their breathing mingling with each other's.

Husband and wife.


	10. Chapter 10: Epilogue

_Au travers des doutes_ _  
_ _Des travers de la route_ _  
_ _Et de plus en plus fort_ _  
_ _On va s'aimer encore_ _  
_ _Au travers des bons coups_ _  
_ _Au travers des déboires_ _  
_ _À la vie à la mort_ _  
_ _On va s'aimer encore_ _  
_ _(Vincent Vallières, 2009)_

"Plagg, could you check over Louis please?" Marinette said, not lifting her eyes from the bras she was packing into her suitcase. "I think I hear him fussing in his crib."

Plagg let out a long sigh, but he still zoomed in the corridor, disappearing into the infant's bedroom wordlessly.

Marinette resumed putting her clothes away in the oversized suitcase, folding her lingerie with a fond smile on her face. A lot of changes were coming her way, but she had gone through worse in the past, on her own, and she knew that with Adrien by her side, she could go through anything.

Not to mention both deities living with them who were hopelessly head over heels about their infant son.

Plagg flew back in the kitchen, an obviously fake bored expression schooled on his face, "he had lost his pacifier. I gave it back to him, but I think he'll need purring to fall back asleep. _Again._ " He grimaced, but it was so blatantly forced that Marinette couldn't help but giggle.

Tikki stared at her counterpart from her charge's bookcase from where she was watching with a smirk. "You know you aren't fooling anyone? We all know you're really fond of your little kitten."

"Well, it's my first grand-kitten, after all. Someone's gotta keep an eye on him," Plagg answered dryly before disappearing down the corridor again.

"He loves him to pieces, you know," Tikki said softly. "A thousand years of partnership, and I've never seen Plagg so fond of something that drools everywhere and can't even eat Camembert yet."

Before Marinette could reply, familiar strong arms wrapped around her waist. "What are you doing, my love? I told you the moving crew would take care of all the packing."

Marinette revelled in the feeling of his husband's lips leaving a trail of kisses on her neck, leaning back in his loving embrace. "You do know I am not going to let strangers handle my underwear, right?"

He chuckled, burying his nose into her shoulder, planting a soft kiss on her shoulder blade. "Is Louis sleeping?"

She chuckled, turning around in his embrace so she would face him. "Yeah, Plagg just went to cuddle with him, stating Louis needed purring to get back to sleep. I asked him to check up on him earlier because he was fussing in his crib, and he tried to make it seem like he was doing me a big favour."

"He tries to hide it, but he really loves our little man," Adrien smiled against her neck. "Sometimes I think he even likes Louis better than me. However, my lovely lady, plane tickets are bought, Louis is getting his own seat for his car seat as you requested. The moving crew will be here first thing tomorrow morning to pack and ship our stuff, and I called your mom. She said the apartment is ready for us, and she took care of the appliances and furniture we won't bring with us with the money I sent her."

"You did well, chaton," Marinette gently said. "Now we just have to pack all the stuff we don't want the moving crew to handle by tomorrow morning. Easy peasy."

Adrien chuckled, eyeing his lady carefully. "Honestly Mari, by this point, Paris is only waiting for us. No regrets? No take backs? You did say you liked your life here before."

She pressed a quick kiss on her husband's lips, smiling at him softly. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you do realize that, yes?"

Adrien sighed, leaning into her touch. "You know that if you wanted to stay in China, we could create a brand new Marinette Agreste brand right here. I have enough savings to get you started, and-"

"Silly minou," she gently chastised, "opening a Xinlelu branch in Paris not only allows us to move back home, but also to gain some sort of independence. I won't have to pay my employees out of my pocket, and I'll be able to set up things quite nicely before the baby becomes a problem."

Adrien laughed, hugging her closer. "That's ridiculous. Louis only breastfeed at night now, and I'm staying at home with him. He shouldn't be a problem anymore."

Marinette smiled, taking his hand and putting it on her abdomen. "Maybe so, but this little one will be quite demanding for the first few months."

He froze, looking at her quizzically. "Wait? You're pregnant again? Already? But Louis is only ten months old!"

"Well," she laughed, "breastfeeding is far from being a reliable birth control method, even more considering that Louis only feeds once a day now, as you just pointed out. And as we never bothered to use anything else…"

Adrien's entire face lit up, staring at her like she was some kind of marvel. "You're serious? We're gonna have another baby? How far along are you?"

"Six weeks. Doctor confirmed it this morning, along with the news that my lungs are now officially spots free. Everything is fine and I have his blessing to board the plane tomorrow, so don't go worrying that pretty head of yours."

The wave of happiness that washed over Adrien upon hearing those words was unprecedented.

Another child.

They were going to have _another_ child.

Louis already had been a blessing to him. He hadn't minded the 2 a.m. bottles of milk, the nearly radioactive diapers, the pacifiers that always seemed to disappear in times of dire need.

He had a _son_. Of his own. Thanks to Marinette.

And he was going to take care of him as is his life depended on it.

And now?

Now she was going to gift him with another child.

Another breathing testimony of their love.

He pressed a searing kiss on her lips, almost vibrating from the excitement. "I love you, my lady. I love you more than anything."

Hours later, Marinette would wonder where her husband had wandered off to.

Hours later, she would find Adrien standing in front of their son's crib, watching the infant's sleeping peacefully with Plagg curled up on his chest.

His _son._

Corn blond hair, sky blue eyes.

The perfect mix of years of devoted love.

Hours later, Adrien would look into his wife's eyes, wondering how in the world he had gotten lucky enough to get to live this life.

* * *

Marinette put Louis's pacifier back in his mouth, letting him drift back to sleep. They were about to land, and she wasn't looking forward to dealing with an upset infant because of the shift in air pressure.

Adrien grabbed her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

They were in this together.

Through thick and thin.

For better and for worse.

The plane began its descent toward Charles-de-Gaulles airport, and sure enough, Louis began fussing in his car seat. Adrien was quicker than her, unfastening his seatbelts and gently rocking him back and forth in his arms.

He managed to keep the upset baby under control until the plane came to a stop, then surrendered him to Marinette's open arms as they painstakingly made their way out of the plane.

Louis was exhausted and hungry, a combo that wasn't great for a ten-months-old baby boy. Hopefully, going through the customs was quick, and they went to luggage claim with a fussy child on their hands. Even Plagg, pretending to be a plush toy and gently purring in the crook of the infant's neck, wasn't enough to calm him down.

Tikki crept out of Marinette's purse, gently cuddling the baby's cheek and quietly humming him a lullaby. This seemed to do the trick, seeing as Louis finally rested his head in the crook of his mother's neck, closing his eyes and revelling into the kwamis' care.

Adrien wrapped his arm around Marinette's hips, pulling her close to him as they walked to the luggage claim. They were beginning their new life together, beginning a new chapter of their story.

The second they walked out of the corridor, Louis safely cradled in his mom's embrace, they saw them.

Tom and Sabine, eagerly waiting for them with a stroller ready, bright smiles on both of their faces. Alya, her phone already recording their arrival, trying (and failing) to hide the happy tears streaming down her face. Nino, his signature headphones missing for once, watching them coming out of the airport's maze with a fond smile stretching his lips.

Their family.

The first thing Marinette knew, Louis had been ripped out of her arms to be cuddled by a very eager Sabine, sour about how she hadn't seen her grandson in more than six months. Tom wrapped both his daughter and his son-in-law in a bone-crushing hug, rambling about how happy he was they were back for good. Alya sniffled not so subtly, begging them to never go away again, while Nino was just awkwardly standing there, unsure of what to do with himself.

And there, in the middle of France's busiest airport, Marinette finally broke down.

She dissolved into a mess of tears within her father's embrace, unable to cope with the love they were showering her with. Apologies were mumbled, reassurances were whispered.

Adrien stared at his wife, quietly sobbing against Tom's broad chest, and he couldn't help the relieved smile from spreading on his lips.

They were home.

Finally.

* * *

Marinette closed the door behind her, having set Louis in his crib just a second prior.

"Is he asleep?" Adrien asked, lifting his gaze from the box he had been unpacking.

She giggled, wiping the grim he had smeared across his forehead. "On the verge of. Plagg offered his purring services, so I thinks it's gonna be a few minutes at most."

"Did we really had all of this stuff in Shanghai? I kinda feel like they added boxes only to mess with me."

Marinette smiled, going around her husband to open another box. "You know, _you_ are the one who insisted we moved everything we could so we wouldn't lose any memories. It probably would have been less expensive to buy Louis brand new toys."

"What?" Adrien loudly gasped, "and keeping him from his early childhood memories? What kind of monster are you, Mari?"

She wrapped her arms around his waist, smiling fondly in his back. "You know, Louis is the luckiest baby of all France."

"Because Marinette Agreste is his mom?" Adrien replied, planting a soft kiss on the crown of her hair.

"No," she answered, pressing her lips onto his. "Because Adrien Agreste is his father. Because he's not even a year old and you've already researched every suitable preschools. Because you love us more than anything, and I know you'll love his sister or brother just as much."

Adrien chuckled against her neck, pulling her closer to him. "You're playing unfair, my lady. As if I could _not_ love anything coming from _you._ "

Marinette smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his midsection. "Are you sure you're fine with us moving back here? I mean, there's nothing but bad memories for you here."

"I _do_ have happy memories of my life here, Marinette. They just happen to all be related to you. Besides, the neat thing about memories is that you are constantly making new ones. And I'm pretty confident that the ones we'll make in the next few decades are going to be nothing short of amazing. No pressure," he ended with a playful wink, earning himself a glare from his wife.

"You're the worst," she said as she resumed unpacking.

Adrien walked up behind her, lacing his strong arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. "Good thing you married me for better or for worse then," he cooed in her ear.

Marinette turned around, pulling him into a deep kiss. "I really am Lady Luck. I'll be forever grateful that life gave us another chance at being together in that cemetery."

He nodded, smiling against her lips.

"A second chance."

 _The End_


End file.
